2016 Year in Review

Hi y’all, and happy new year! 

2016 was a big year for Pinch Me, I’m Eating! and 2017 will be even better yet! I can feel it in my bones. 

Since my blog started in the middle of 2015, 2016 was my chance to really step it up. I posted *almost* every week in 2016 and I think it really helped my site grow! 

Most importantly, I got to share a bunch of great recipes with you all! I’m looking forward to bringing you even more delicious things this year, and I’ve even got a couple other big projects up my sleeve I’m super excited about. Stay tuned to hear more!

Pinch Me, I'm Eating! 2016 best recipes. Most popular recipes of the year on the blog and Instagram!

2016 Best Recipes

Here’s a look back on my 10 most visited recipes of 2016. 

10. Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad  |  PIN IT

Full of fresh basil and veggies, this lightly dressed sun-dried tomato pasta salad is a refreshing and flavorful side dish for sandwiches, a potluck, or a light lunch! Copycat recipe from Beyond Bread in Tucson, AZ. | www.pinchmeimeating.com

This sun-dried tomato pasta salad is a definite crowd pleaser and has already become a staple with some of my family members. It’s something a little different and more elegant than your typical potluck pasta salad! 

9. Easy Turkey Chili  |  PIN IT

An easy turkey chili that's filling, cozy, and healthy. Perfect for dinner on a busy weeknight, and I only have to wash one pot! | www.pinchmeimeating.com

This is my go-to chili recipe: quick, easy, hearty, and healthy. And I think the turkey is so much more flavorful than beef! My favorite way to eat this is with tortilla chips, but it would also be great over cornbread. Yum!

8. One-Pan Pork Chops with Spinach and Mushrooms  |  PIN IT

With no cutting board, no measuring, no ingredient prep, and only one skillet, one pan pork chops make the ultimate easy weeknight meal.

This is one of those meals that tastes much more luxurious than the ingredients in it. It’s another excellent weeknight meal with zero prep time!

7. Zeppole (Fried Italian Donuts)  |  PIN IT

These zeppole are semi-dense, not-too-sweet fried Italian donuts. Delicious with powdered sugar and Nutella for dipping! | www.pinchmeimeating.com

My family’s Italian Christmas tradition included making these zeppole for breakfast while we opened presents. It’s one of the only things I actually fry, and it’s so worth it. 

6. One-Pan Salmon with Asparagus, Mushrooms, and Balsamic Brown Butter Sauce  |  PIN IT

One-pan salmon with asparagus, mushrooms, and balsamic brown butter sauce is the easiest, most delicious dinner - and it's ready in only 20 minutes! This is my new favorite meal! | www.pinchmeimeating.com

Another easy, healthy weeknight dinner with no preparation and only one pan! The balsamic brown butter sauce is to die for and is the perfect companion to the salmon, asparagus, and mushrooms. I literally lick the pan.

5. Greek Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo and Kale (Avgolemono)  |  PIN IT

This hearty Greek lemon chicken soup is full of orzo, shredded chicken, and kale, and comes together in only 30 minutes. An easy avgolemono soup recipe! I can't believe how adding eggs to the broth makes it so creamy! Perfect for a quick and easy main course meal in the winter! | www.pinchmeimeating.com

Avgolemono (egg-lemon) soup has a silky, lemony broth thickened with egg rather than cream. With a little orzo, shredded chicken, and kale, it’s a lighter (but cozy) soup that will fill and warm you up! 

4. Fig, Bacon, and Blue Cheese Pizza with Balsamic Caramelized Onions  |  PIN IT

It's like a pizza and a fancy cheese board had a baby, and this gourmet fig, bacon, and blue cheese pizza with balsamic caramelized onions is it, all grown up and sophisticated. Inspired by authentic Portuguese ingredients from Try the World! | www.pinchmeimeating.com

It’s like a cheese board met a pizza, and the rest is history. I just love that sweet jam/salty cheese combination – so classic! This pizza is sure to impress!

3. Chewy Gingerbread Cookies  |  PIN IT

Get in the holiday spirit with some spicy, chewy gingerbread cookies! They keep their shape when cut with cookie cutters and they stay soft and delicious! They're the ultimate Christmas cookies.

These gingerbread cookies are chewy and delicious but they still hold their shape when you cut them! Win-win!

2. Easy Hollandaise Sauce  |  PIN IT

This easy Hollandaise sauce recipe doesn't require a blender, a double boiler, or constant whisking. If you want a thick, creamy, and tangy sauce that's easy to make and an easily-scalable recipe that's a cinch to memorize, give this one a shot! | www.pinchmeimeating.com

This is an easy, no-fuss Hollandaise sauce recipe that doesn’t require you to haul out a blender. The default recipe is super-lemony (just how I like it) but if you’re not as much of a lemon-lover, there are alternate ratios included for you! Serve it on everything from a traditional eggs Benedict to turkey burgers!

1. Baked Spinach, Artichoke, and Crab Dip  |  PIN IT

This hot baked spinach, artichoke, and crab dip is the perfect crowd-pleasing party dip - easy to make ahead, perfectly cheesy, and full of the good stuff. | www.pinchmeimeating.com

By far my top post of the year! It’s a definite crowd-pleaser perfect for bringing to a party or serving at a holiday gathering. It’s chock-full of all the “good stuff” rather than being mostly “filler”!

Instagram 2016 Year in Review

I’m still working on upping my Instagram game, but I’ve definitely started posting more this year! Here are my most-liked Instagram posts of 2016.

Pinch Me, I'm Eating! Top Instagram posts of 2016

Some of the recipes you see here are a little different from the ones that were most visited on my site! Here they are:

1. Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad  |  INSTAGRAM

Also in the top 10 recipes on the blog, this dish is a light alternative to heavy pasta salads swimming in mayo or dressing.

2. Grapefruit Rosemary Lemonade  |  INSTAGRAM

So refreshing, and the rosemary adds a delightful earthiness!

3. Scarborough Fair Carrot Ribbons with Shrimp  |  INSTAGRAM

I’m actually having this again tonight. How can you go wrong with something so colorful and full of brown butter and herbs?

4. Homemade Peppermint Mocha  |  INSTAGRAM

You don’t have to wait in line at Starbucks anymore, because this is just as good!

5. Smoked Salmon, Tomato, and Avocado Rose Salad  |  INSTAGRAM

Step-by-step tutorials on making roses out of smoked salmon, tomatoes, and avocados, plus a light and lemony salad dressing to top them off. It’s a beautiful presentation that is much easier than it looks, and is sure to impress your guests.

6. Brown Sugar Cardamom Whipped Cream with Persimmons  |  INSTAGRAM

If you’ve never had persimmons before, a lot of people use them in baked goods, but I like them right out of the skin! The brown sugar cardamom whipped cream is the perfect complement for the flavor. 

7. Blueberry Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting  |  INSTAGRAM

 Oooey, gooey blueberry jam and cream cheese frosting are between the layers of this blueberry-studded spice cake. My husband’s favorite!

8. Cardamom Orange Scones with Orange Glaze  |  INSTAGRAM

These fragrant scones are moist and crumbly at the same time, and are just what I want with a cup of hot tea.

9. Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad (again!)  |  INSTAGRAM

What can I say? Yum!

 

Well, I suppose that about wraps up this year’s recipes! I hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane with me, especially if you’re newer to the Pinch Me, I’m Eating! community and may have missed some of these when they first came out! 

There are so many exciting things I have planned for this year and I can’t wait to share them with you! You can keep in touch on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

If you want to be the first to see what’s new on the blog, you can join my newsletter!

Looking forward to seeing you throughout 2017! 

Caroline

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